Fruit gatherer



April 27 1926.

A. c. WOLK EN FRUIT GATHERER Filed Nov. 20, 1924 XX?) zimf WEE/ram Qwucmtoz all i Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

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Application filed November T 0 all whom it, 'nza z bo ncern:

Be it known that I, 'AL IN G. lllonnnn,

a citizen of the United States, residing'at n the county of liiarshall and State of Iowa, hare invented certain new ind useful improvements in Fruittlatherers, of which the followingis a spcciticw tion.

'1 fruit gathen-n's and has for its principal object to provide; a simple and. etilcient meanswliereby, fruit, such as. apples, pears, oranges or the like may be, severed from the branches-pf. .tree, oan d collectedin, a suitable bag.

"Another important object of the invention is t-o'providea fruit gatherer which adapted to be supported on the upper end of a pole, whereby a person standing on the ground nay reach the fruit and remove the same from the trees in a simple and efficient manner.

A further object of the invention isto provide a fruit gatherer of the above mentioned character, which is simple in contruction, inexpensive, strong and durable,

and further well adapted for the purposes for which it is designated. 7

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent during the j openlng provlded' therefor 1n the side '11 of course of the following description. In the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification and 1n which like numerals designate like parts'through-n out the same:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the fruit gathere r embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a similar view, with parts shown in section, and 7 Figure 3 is atop plan view. I In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 1 designates an elongated pole, and adapted to be secured on the upper end thereof isa substantially rectangular metallic frame 2, the same being secured to the pole 1 as at 3. The upper edge of the frame 2 is rolled, as illustrated at at, so that the fruit Willnot be bruised by the upper edge of the frame,

when the device is in use. A bag 5, in winch the fruit which is to be gathered 1s his inrcntion relates to improvements. in

of the frame that the baseportion 12 thereof will cooperao, i924. Serial No. 751,031.

when filled, in the manner well known in the art. I

Cooperating with the frame 2 is a pivotcd jaw, designated by the numeral 7. The jaw is formed of a single strand of wire andis bent into substantially U-shapc, formation, in a manner as more clearly il-- lustratcd in "Figure 3, whereby the, same, conforms with the shape of the frame 2. 'lhearmtl of. the Li -shaped jaw 7 is disposed, adjacent-the side 9 of the frame 2, while the other arm 10 of the Urshaped jaw is disposed adjacent. the opposite side. 11 r-Tl' e; base portion" 12 of the U-shapedj'aw 7- is adapted for cooperation with the side 13 of the frame 2, which is secured, at its"intermediate portion, to the upper end of the supporting pole 1.

The free end of the arm 8 is disposed laterally through a suitable opening provided therefor in the side 9 of the frame 2 the frame 2 adjacent the adjacent side i l, and terminates in an upwardly extending lever 18, in a manner as clearly illustrated in Figuresl and 2 of the drawing. The lever 18 is furthermore disposed at an angle a with respect to the plane in which are disposed the parallel arms of the U-shaped jaw 7 and leans toward the side '13. The lever is secured at its free end toan operating cable 19, the free end of the latter being within easy control of the person using the device. i

Reinforcing means or braces, such as are shown at 20 are associated with the upper end of the pole 1 and the side 18 of the frame '2 which is fastened on the pole.

Normally, the spring 17 holds the U- shaped jaw 7, in the position as shown in Figures 1 and 2 ofthe drawings, and by placing the frame, over the fruit to be gathered and pulling on thecablelQ, the aw 7 will move downwardly in the direction of the arrows, within the frame 2, so I loo ate with the side 13 of the frame 2 for holding the fruit so that it may be separated from its stem, causing the fruit to drop into the bag 5. By releasing the cable 19, the spring 17 will return the jaw 7 to its normal inoperative position and permit the device to again be positioned over another piece of fruit. \Vhcn the bag 5 has been filled, the clamping wire 6 is removed, and the bag may be disengaged from the frame 2, whereupon the fruit gathered or collected in the bag is placed in a suitable receptacle, and the empty bag is again secured in position around the frame by a clamping wire 6.

It will thus be seen from the foregoing description that a fruit gatherer has been provided which will save considerable time and labor, and furthermore the parts will be so arranged as to render the operation of the device efficient and positive. By'having the upper edge of the metallicframe rolled, the danger of bruising the fruit will be eliminated. I

\Vhile I have shown the preferred embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that various changes in the size, shape, and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

In a fruit gatherer, a four sided frame, a pole fixed to one side of the frame, a U- shaped member having its ends disposed outwardly and journaled through the sides of the frame extending from the side to which is attached the pole, a crank formed on one end of the U-shaped member, a spring attached to the crank and to the frame for normally holding the U-shaped member in a raised position, a crank formed on the other end of the U-shapcd member,

and a cable attached to the end of the last mentioned crank so that said cable may be pulled to swing the crank and the U-shaped member down into the frame toward the side thereof fixed to the pole.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

ALVIN C. lVOLKEN. 

